The first few months of a new relationship are incredible: there’s nothing like that butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling you get when you’re waiting from the next text from her. After a little while, however, the novelty starts to wear off — so you might be tempted to start looking for that high elsewhere, even if you aren’t actually sleeping with someone else.

If you’re exchanging flirty texts with someone who isn’t your partner, consistently liking and commenting on their posts, or leaving googly-eye emojis on their Instagram photos, you may be engaging in micro-cheating. The term describes a wide range of actions and behaviours that aren’t egregious enough to qualify as cheating but are definitely a little bit shady nonetheless.

The term has gone viral over the past few weeks, with many people freaking out over whether their partner could be doing it to them. But such behaviour usually isn’t cause for alarm, according to relationship experts and therapists who spoke with Men’s Health. In fact, flirting with people other than your partner can sometimes be a good thing for your relationship — to a point.

Here’s how to know when “micro-cheating” is just harmless flirtation, and when it’s actually a problem.

According to NYC-based Psychotherapist and Relationship Specialist Lisa Brateman, “micro-cheating” is a bit of an unfair term. When you think about it, most people in relationships dabble in some form of micro-cheating at some point, and that’s completely normal.

read more at menshealth.com